One Forgets, the Other Remembers: A Tale of Contrasting Memories

Quick Summary:

• AJ, a California woman wiht “hyperthymestic syndrome,” remembers nearly every autobiographical detail as age 11.
• EP, an 85-year-old retired lab technician from California, has severe memory loss due to herpes simplex virus damage, resulting in anterograde and retrograde amnesia.
• Neuropsychologists have studied AJ’s unique memory condition for seven years; her condition emphasizes autobiographical memories rather than facts or figures.
• EP lost chunks of the brain’s medial temporal lobes (including the hippocampus), eliminating his ability to create new long-term memories-similar to HM, another historically significant amnesiac studied extensively for decades.
• Memory researchers distinguish between declarative (conscious recall) and non-declarative (unconscious skills) types of memory; damaged hippocampal areas impair declarative memory but leave other functions intact.
• Decline in cognitive function associated with aging is part of widespread research on therapeutic interventions like drugs that enhance neurotransmitter activity. Ampakines are being explored as potential treatments for memory enhancement.

Images:

1. A woman floating in the sea reflects purpose through past hardships.

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